Episode 74: Merry Christmas

In the name of the glorious Trinity, Father and Son and Holy

Spirit forever. Amen.

Glory be to the everlasting mercies which sent you to us, O

Christ, the light of the world and the life of all.

Give us wisdom. By your law and enlighten our

impulses. By your knowledge, sanctify our

souls by your truth, and grant that we may be obedient to your

words and may fulfil your commandments at every hour.

O you. Who enlightens the rationale

with the knowledge of your greatness?

Do enlight O my. Lord our thoughts.

That we may meditate upon your holy and divine scriptures at

all times, O Lord. Of all.

Father and Son and Holy Spirit. Forever.

Amen. It's translates in English

saying Hallelujah at the birth of Christ the King, which we

were chanting during the services continuously.

A very Merry Christmas to your beloved brothers and sisters in

Christ and friends. May the blessings of this holy

feast of the birth of our Lord and our Savior Jesus Christ be

bestowed upon you and your families at all times while we

celebrate in moderation, eating, drinking, visiting family and

friends, exchanging gifts, etcetera.

Please, please, please keep in mind to truly feel the Christmas

spirit. My brother Steven made a comment

and said it doesn't really feel like Christmas.

You know, I wonder how many people out there feel that way.

You know, as years go by, these holy feasts that are a a special

service during the services, the chanting, the anthems, and in

particular the feast of the Resurrection.

You know, back home or even even in the diaspora, you know, many

years or not, many years ago, a few years back, you would really

feel it. But, you know, many people make

that comment and say it doesn't really feel like Christmas.

And you know what? I think?

Because we really have not so much misunderstood, but we've

we're overlooking the true meaning of of Christmas.

So as I said, while we celebrate by eating, drinking, drinking in

festivity, please remind that remember that Christmas is more

than a mere season caused by Jesus Christ.

You know, Jesus is the reason for the season.

Well, yes, I mean to that. It's, it's nice, you know, it's

catchy, It's cliche. But no, no, no.

Jesus praise His name is the creator of all things visible

and invisible. He is not just a reason for a

season. He is the reason and the creator

of all times, days, weeks, months, seasons and years.

John chapter one, verse three we read.

Everything was in his hand and without him not even one thing

existed of the things that existed.

So a lot more than just a reason for the season.

No. He is the Creator of the heavens

and of the earth, and this is the the concluding chant, We

pray on the feet. The You know, the the days of

the feast, O creator of the heavens and of the earth.

Everything was in His hand. In whose hand See everything was

in His hand prior to Him taking on flesh and coming on earth, in

whose hands beloved the One, the Word that had been existing with

God and was himself God, according to John chapter one,

who is the Word, the one that became flesh and dwelt amongst

us, according to John chapter one, verse 14, And who became

flesh? God of the Word, Jesus Christ

the Creator. Jesus is more than a season, a

time to be giving. You know Christmas is a time of

giving and sharing. Why is only Christmas a time of

giving and sharing? We need to be giving at all

times. Mark chapter 14, verse 7.

Mark 14:7

Jesus commands for the poor are always with you, not once a

year, not at the celebration of my birth.

For the poor are always with you, and whenever you wish you

can do good for them. But I am not always with you.

In the flesh, obviously, you know.

Do we mean to say that it is at one specific season and during

Christmas or the holidays we're going to talk about that?

We need to give to the poor and needy, Jada, the poor and the

needy. If they have to wait for that

one specific season or reason or time, then they're in big

trouble. But it's always time to help.

And at all times we must be giving and caring and sharing.

Christmas is more than a holiday or a vacation.

Beloved. Happy holidays.

No, no, it's more than a holiday and a vacation.

If Christmas and I oppose this question, If Christmas is a mere

holiday and vacation, then what do you classify Easter?

Or better still, the holy feast of the Resurrection of our Lord

and our Saviour, Jesus Christ? In actual fact, if you think

about it, the feast of the Resurrection of our Lord Easter

is the period of rest and holiday.

Let's let's call it, for argument's sake, a time of

holiday. Why?

Because it was on the day of the resurrection that marvelous

Sunday, the first day of the week where Jesus was

resurrected, is when everything was concluded.

Hence on the on the 7th day, God rested Not that God sat down and

had a a a sigh relief like I'm so tired.

No, God completed the word work of His creation.

So too on the first day of the week after the Sabbath, the

salvific plan of God. In the second stage, the first

stage, The first scene was from after the fall till the birth of

Jesus Christ. We are now in the second scene,

the second stage of the salvific plan of God.

And we are waiting for the third and final stages, when Jesus

will come on the day of salvation and deliver us

eternally from death and sin and Satan and destruction and

headaches and pain and misery and and laws.

And, you know, I always want to mention them legislations and

toil to continue to eternally save us, beloved.

So if we want to play on words and and, you know, and and try

to somehow find ourselves, you know, new titles to do away from

the real meaning of Christmas or the resurrection, why would what

would you call Easter or the feast of the Resurrection?

That's more of a hollow. That's more of a rest.

So you know what? Get it right.

Christmas is a lot more than just period of holiday and

vacation. We we chant in the anthem of

chancel for the feast of the resurrection.

This is what we say. Exalt and cry Allo, I'm sorry.

Exalt and cry aloud O mortals, for the dominion of death has

been destroyed. So rest, be at peace.

If we want to call one of these feasts a holiday, well, the

resurrection. Easter is more of a holiday of

rest. Exalt and cry aloud, O mortals,

for the dominion of death has been destroyed.

Christ by his suffering has conquered death and has promised

life by his resurrections. Be at ease, be in peace.

Christ has overcome. For the third Sunday of great

land. We chant May the cross, which

became for us a source of good things and by which our mortal

race was set free, be for us, O my Lord, a mighty bulwark, and

by it may we defeat the evil one and all his vials.

We have the weapon, we have the armour, we have the victory.

So call Easter a period of rest. I can understand, but the birth

of Jesus Christ is not just a holiday.

As I said, it's more than just a mirror of Christ being a reason

or a vacation or a time to be giving and to be sharing and

family. Why is it only Christmas time, a

time for family? The family unit is a daily

blessing from God, and it wasn't established or it wasn't blessed

upon us. Just to remember, once a year

it's a continuous blessing. Saint Paul instructs in

Philippians chapter 4, verse 8 to 9, not merely at one season

Philippians 4:8–9

or time, but rather continuously, that we meditate

on those things that are true. Here we go, This is Christmas,

beloved. Meditate on those things that

are true, those that are honorable, those that are

righteous, those things that are pure, those things that are

precious, those things that are praiseworthy deeds of glory and

of praise. The things that you have learned

and received and heard and seen by me.

Do these things, and the God of peace shall be with you.

He surely didn't only practice these once a year, did he?

It's a continuous practice of these deeds.

So what is Christmas? As we celebrate and today being

Christmas Day, and if you're listening on this episode, to

this episode on Christmas Day, what is today?

What are we celebrating? Well, let's examine what the

angels proclaimed to the shepherds.

Glory to God in the Highest Beloved.

During this time, let us not begin.

We should be practicing, but let us intensify.

Let us multiply our praise and ascriptions of glory to God for

His love for us. Christmas time is an

enhancement, intensifying reminder that God's love has

been revealed. John 316 For God loved the world

in this way so much that He would give up his Son, the only

one, so that everyone who trusts in Him shall be, shall not be

lost, but he shall have eternal life.

It's a time to continue in steadfast, beloved, and renew

our sincere Thanksgiving to God for the commencement, as I said,

for the chapter of His salvific plan and desire for mankind.

For his second scene, the second chapter of his salvific plan.

Not to just remember during this time, but to intensify, to

encourage us even more, to to bring us even more joy and

assurance that we are living in that period of God's plan for

the salvation of souls. The angels sang, and on earth

peace. Glory to God in the heist, and

on earth, peace. This is the peace that the world

is so lacking, so lacking. Beloved.

This is the peace that the world are not chanting for today.

This is the peace that the world has so neglected, and that the

world has so created a new understanding of peace for

itself. Hence we are where we are at

today. Atrocities, genocides, murder,

whatever you want to call it. This is a time, beloved, to draw

even more near to the peace of God through His Son, our Lord

Jesus Christ and His Holy Spirit, The power.

This is the time to stop and examine yourself and see that if

we are truly living in the peace of the Lord, January 1st, 2023.

Oh no, let me let me go back. December 25th, 2022 and today

being December 25th, 2023, have we lived in this peace?

Have we fathom the peace that Jesus brought to you and I and

for you and I? Do we truly Have we been sharing

this peace? If we have praise God, let us

glorify, intensify our glory to God for His peace.

John chapter 14, verse 27. This is the peace we should be

John 14:27

demonstrating for beloved. This is the peace we should be

searching and seeking and running, seeking and running.

After Jesus says peace, I leave with you.

Jesus has left his peace in the entire world.

My peace I give to you, the peace that he brought, the

reconciliation between man and God.

It is not as the world gives that I give to you.

It's got nothing to do with treaties and signing, you know,

treaties and peace talks, and they're all false because the

true peace of God is not indicated on that document

that's being signed. Do not let your heart be

troubled, and do not let it be afraid.

We truly draw near to this peace that God brought through His

Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, Saint Paul reiterates in his

second Epistles of the Corinthians, chapter 5, verse

18, and everything has become new from God.

This is the period. This is the time, Beloved, that

we must really understand and fathom and grow closer and and

seek that that newness, that God has brought to us a new life.

He who reconciled us to Himself in the Messiah, in Christ as He

has given us, that is the Church through her priesthood, the

ministry of the reconciliation. This Christmas, Beloved, stop

for a second. Put down the glass.

Put down the can. Put down the bottle.

Stop for a second and truly examine Where do you stand with

the glory that we are to ascribe God?

Not just during the Church. Now those who hadn't been to

church for the past six months and last night or today attend

the church. When we say, may your oblation

be blessed upon you, but is it just that one time or two times

or maybe 3 * a year? What do we say, CEOs?

It's now a new acronym, Chris. Christmas, Easter and Oceana

Palm Sunday. That is the only time that we

ascribe, glory to God. We give three days or three

times or three periods a year, and if we count them, probably

about one hour, 1 hour or two hours in the 365 days of the

year. And then we're proud that we're

celebrating Christmas. No, we're not.

We're not celebrating Christmas. We're only joining a festivity.

We're only joining a season and it's time to just reflect on

loving the family and caring and sharing.

I'm sorry to say, and sometimes not even not even about Jesus

Christ this Christmas. Stop and think.

Where are you in the glory of God?

How are you glorifying God in your heart?

How are you blessing God in your heart?

In your mind, in your soul, in your spirit?

How? And maybe some are attending

Christmas celebrations. You know Christmas parties,

right? Is it?

Do we just, you know, we we become ambience and we become

spiritual and humble. Only that one or two hours

during church service and you know, let's call a spade a

spade. You know, the youth go to church

and they hang around the church grounds, right?

Yeah. And some are smoking their pot

doing their dope. Some are in cars, engaged in

some immorality. I know, I know, I know very,

very well. I've been told.

I've been confessed to by those who used to be engaged in these

immoralities. Meeting up at Christmas to meet

up to make out in in the cars and then approach the holy

mysteries. Is this Christmas or you or you?

You you know you time your attendance at church. 10:00

service begins. 10/20 it ends. There's a few announcements.

So I'm going to make sure I'm I'm there at 10:10 so I can go

there take the holy Christ and walk out and do my thing.

This is Christmas actually. This is an abomination, beloved.

It's an abomination for you to be high, for you to have engaged

in immorality and to approach the mysteries because it's the

birth of Jesus Christ. I suggest you don't do that.

I suggest you repent. I suggest you seek pastoral

counsel to be given absolution in Jesus name this Christmas.

As we exchanged our gifts, what have you given to God?

What have you given to Jesus Christ?

Think about it. What did you give present to

Christ today? It's Christmas Day.

We're celebrating the birth of the Son of God.

What have you gifted him? Nothing.

Well, you know Christ doesn't expect anything from us.

The only thing that he is appeased with is our obedience

and our relationship with Him. So this Christmas, stop for a

moment and recap your relationship with Jesus Christ.

How are you expressing your joy, your appreciation, your

gratitude, your Thanksgiving to God who gave His only begotten

Son? He was born to die.

Remember, beloved, from the womb to the tomb, how are you

expressing your gratitude to the Lord Jesus Christ?

Well, if you want to begin, it's simple.

Tonight when you before you lay your head on the pillow, get on

your knees and thank God for his amazing gift of grace and mercy

and compassion and love, and ask him to grant you the strength to

follow Jesus and appease Him at all times.

Praise and glory be to His name, now and at all times and

forever. Amen.

Merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year to you all.

God bless. We hope you enjoyed this week's

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Until next time, God bless you all.